How to Prune Abutilon
Abutilon is a family of plants more commonly known as flowering maple. They are tender perennial shrubs or small trees that produce spring, summer and fall blooms in hues of yellow, orange, terra-cotta rose and white. Called flowering maple for the shape of its foliage, abutilon flowers actually resemble hibiscus blooms and, in fact, the plants are related. Hardy in USDA Zones 8 through 10, with ideal conditions abutilon can successfully be grown indoors in cooler climates.
Cut back the stems to produce a more voluminous and compact growth habit for your abutilon. Make cuts between 2 and 12 inches as desired for your plant's shape and size. Spread the cuts evenly around the shrub to maintain a symmetrical and balanced shape to your abutilon. This light pruning can safely be done in the early spring and throughout the growing season.The stem cuttings can easily be rooted in nursery pots and grown as seedlings or given to fellow gardeners as gifts.
- Abutilon is a family of plants more commonly known as flowering maple.
- Make cuts between 2 and 12 inches as desired for your plant's shape and size.
Pinch prune your abutilon throughout the growing season promote new branch growth. Use your fingers to pinch off the new growth tips just above the spot you want to see new branching shoots. Prune any branches that cross or abrade one another or appear damaged or diseased. Deadhead fading blooms quickly to encourage new flower production.
Hard prune your abutilon in the early spring after the last hard frost and before bloom. Cut back leggy and overgrown plants down to a foot or two of branching as needed to restore the desired shape and interior architecture of the shrub. Spring bloom for that season will obviously be affected but the plant will leaf out by summer to some degree and will produce buds and blooms the following spring.
- Pinch prune your abutilon throughout the growing season promote new branch growth.
- Hard prune your abutilon in the early spring after the last hard frost and before bloom.
Trim Abutilon
Prepare a 10-percent solution of bleach in a spray bottle, mixing one part chlorine bleach with nine parts water. Pinch or clip the tips of new plants frequently throughout the growing season to encourage branching for a bushier plant. Remove stems that rub and cross. Cut the stems back to the ground to make room for new, young stems. Cut all stems back to control legginess in the plant, if needed, removing no more than one-third of the total plant height. Do additional trimming in the following year if legginess persists. Pinch the flowers from the plant as blossoms expire.
- Prepare a 10-percent solution of bleach in a spray bottle, mixing one part chlorine bleach with nine parts water.
- Cut all stems back to control legginess in the plant, if needed, removing no more than one-third of the total plant height.
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References
- Martha Stewart Abutilon plant profile
- USDA Plant Database Profile
- University of California Integratred Pest Management: Abutilon, Chinese Bellflower, Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple -- Abutilon Spp.
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Abutilon x hybridum
- Monrovia: Super Red Flowering Maple
- University of Vermont Extension: Abutilon
- Sonoma County Master Gardeners: Abutilon
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Beautiful "Flowering Maple" Delicate and Tough
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Home Horticulture: Globe Mallow
